D. Fierst

I’ve went on a lot about writing—processes, methods, inspirations, plans, and hopes. But you know what I haven’t touched on yet? The interaction as a trying-to-be-author and social media. And for (good) reasons.

Let me just say it upfront: I’m Terrible (yes, with a capital ‘T’) at social media. Do I scroll through Instagram and TikTok for entertainment? Absolutely. TikTok especially, more than I should (but how else am I supposed to discover all the cool music gear I shouldn’t buy?). But do I know what to post? And do I do it often enough? No way, José. Do I understand how these platforms work for marketing and networking? Sure. So what’s the problem?

Well, I’ll tell you. But first, let me admit that my attitude toward this topic is probably wrong. I haven’t flipped that mental switch that turns social media into something integrated into my daily life. You know, the point where it no longer feels like extra effort but just another part of the routine.

Here’s the problem: time. To properly use social media, it takes a lot of time. You need to think about content, plan it, create it, post it, engage with people, re-post, comment, share—you get the idea. It’s a full-time job in itself.

Now, there’s no way around it: if you want to “sell” anything, you need to be highly active on these platforms, and you need to do it right. That means constant content and immediate reactions.

But here’s where I’m stuck. I don’t have anything to “sell” yet (…oh dear God, let that day come already!). So, from that perspective, I ask myself two questions:

1. Outside of my private life, what do I even post about regularly?
2. For now, isn’t my time better spent writing more?

I’m not going to dive too deep into my personal life here, but let’s just say I have a demanding job, a house, a kid, and a full day-to-day schedule. My waking hours are packed, and my sleep? Well, let’s just say it’s not where it should be. I work hard to carve out small windows for writing. So how can I justify taking that precious time to dedicate it to marketing, especially when I don’t have a finished product yet?

One justification is to establish myself as a serious writer, someone to be taken seriously by indie publishers, literary agents, or even fellow authors. And good content can be a doorway to draw in people outside my current social circle. So, there is some value in it.

But what is that magical content? Certain mediums lend themselves well to social media: music can overlay videos, artists can show time-lapses of their drawing process, athletes can share physical feats in quick segments, and travel destinations make for beautiful photo spreads.

But does anyone want to see a blinking cursor on a white page? Will watching me rewrite the same sentence fifty-three times stop someone from scrolling? Should I post a picture of one of my cats sitting on the keyboard? Well, yes, cats are always good content—but they’ve explicitly asked me to keep their likenesses off the “inter-webs.”

In the end, this might sound like a bit of a rant. But really, I’m framing it as a question: Where is the tipping point where making and executing social media content becomes worth it compared to spending that same time on writing? That’s the real question I wrestle with.

Also, selfies never seem to capture my good side, so there’s that.